Kendry Morales hit .341 at Class AAA last season and tore up the Dominican Winter League to the tune of .404 witih 8 homers and 29 RBI in 26 games. He'll take over as the Angels starting first baseman this season, a spot occupied at the end of 2008 by Mark Teixeira.

ANGELS TRENDS

ORGANIZATIONAL REPORTS

Over the offseason, Sports Weekly will take an in-depth look at each team, bottom to top, in the order of our final 2008 Power Rankings.

And their biggest offseason moves all winter were signing closer Brian Fuentes to a two-year, $17.5 million contract and locking up manager Mike Scioscia to a contract extension that will keep him around until 2018.

Yet, despite the lack of activity and the criticism they didn't do enough while the rival Oakland A's landed outfielder Matt Holliday and first baseman Jason Giambi, the Angels aren't breaking a sweat.

"We are very confident," says Angels general manager Tony Reagins. "We have good depth in the system, and we think we have a talented group. We have a lot of good young talent coming up, and now they'll have their chance."

The Angels, who acquired Teixeira when they already had an 11-game lead, were hoping his bat would lead them to the World Series, but their season ended with another first-round loss to the Boston Red Sox.

They still offered Teixeira $160 million to stay in Anaheim but dropped out late in the free agent process, watching him sign an eight-year, $180 million deal with the New York Yankees.

"When we made the deal (with the Atlanta Braves), we knew there was a possibility Teixeira would not return," Reagins says. "But we made the deal with the intent to win a World Series.

"But now that he's gone, we feel good about having Kendry (Morales). He's been waiting in the wings. Now it's his time. He's had an outstanding winter, and we expect that to carry over."

Morales, 25, is a Cuban defector who has a career .245 average in the big leagues, spanning 377 at-bats, with 12 homers and 45 RBI.

Yet, he hit .341 last season at Class AAA Salt Lake and batted .404 with eight homers and 29 RBI in 26 games for Gigantes del Cibao in the Dominican league.

"We feel he's made great progress," Reagins said, "and he's ready."

This has been the Angels' mantra. They hang on to their marquee prospects. It was a dramatic move giving up young first baseman Casey Kotchman in the Teixeira trade and also quite rare. They simply would prefer to give their own prospects the opportunity to succeed in the big leagues.

This is an organization that won a franchise-record 100 games last year, the most in the major leagues. They have won the AL West four of the last five years.

And when you win the division by 21 games, you have plenty of room to experiment.

"We're going to keep our options open and look for other opportunities to make our club better," Reagins said. "Whatever that is, we're going to be aggressive. We'll do that all year."

The Angels hope to be stronger once the season progresses. Starter Kelvim Escobar, who had elbow surgery last year, won't be ready until the second half. Outfielder Gary Matthews Jr. still is recovering from offseason knee surgery and could be out until May.

And if they need help at the trading deadline, they won't be afraid to get it, having the resources and finances to pull off virtually any big move.

"I'm extremely disappointed at the last couple of go-rounds we've had in the playoffs," Scioscia says. "But we're going to get better, and we're going to get there. I'm as confident with that as anything that I could even think about."

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Where the Angels stand at each position:

Catcher

Jeff Mathis and Mike Napoli will again share the position. Mathis made a career-high 90 starts but hit .165 after the All-Star break. Napoli batted .453 with six home runs and 16 RBI in September. His .586 slugging percentage last year would have led the American League if he had had enough plate appearances.

First base

Mark Teixeira is gone, leaving Kendry Morales with a job for the first time in his career. Morales has a .245 career batting average, spanning 377 at-bats in the big leagues. He batted .404 in 26 games in the Dominican league this winter.

Second base

Howie Kendrick is the starter, but he needs to stay healthy after being bothered by hamstring injuries last year. He'll be backed up by Sean Rodriguez and whoever isn't starting at shortstop that particular day.

Third base

The position belongs to Chone Figgins, but with an asterisk. The Angels will give every opportunity to Brandon Wood to win the job. Should Wood emerge, Figgins would become a super utility man, playing every day.

Shortstop

Erick Aybar and Maicer Izturis again will battle for the starting job. Aybar is the favorite, but each will get ample playing time.

Left field

Juan Rivera appears to be the left fielder after signing a three-year, $12 million contract. If Figgins loses his job at third base, he could move to left field, possibly shifting Rivera to DH and sharing right field with Vladimir Guerrero.

Center field

Torii Hunter hit .278, drove in 78 runs and won another Gold Glove in his first year with the Angels.

Right field

Guerrero, who had knee surgery in the offseason, insists he will be healthy by the start of the season. Still, the Angels want to be careful with the slugger and might use him more often as a DH.

Designated hitter

No one wanted the job last year, and no one is raising a hand for it this year, either.

Rodriguez (and his record 61 saves) is gone, but he will be replaced by Fuentes, who has at least 30 saves in three of the last four years.

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Prospect report: System key to staying competitive

The Angels have the resources and certainly the capital to attain just about anyone they want on the free agent market, but the key to their prolonged success is their farm system.

Virtually everywhere you look on the diamond is a homegrown player signed and developed by the organization, and general manager Tony Reagins vows that trend will continue. The 2009 rotation is expected to include homegrown players in all five spots. The starting infield might consist of all homegrown players.

The Angels' minor league teams were a huge success last year, too, combining for a .542 winning percentage, the best since 1995.

"We feel very good about the depth we have," Reagins says. "We have a lot of good young talent coming up. A lot of things have gone right from the development side."

The Angels will have four of the top 38 picks in this year's draft.

Some of the Angels' top prospects:

•RHP Nick Adenhart: He will compete for the No. 5 starter job. Adenhart, drafted in the 14th round in 2004 after having Tommy John elbow surgery, had a tremendous start last year at Class AAA Salt Lake but struggled after a brief stint in the big leagues. Adenhart, 22, went 4-0 with a 0.87 ERA in five starts but was 5-13, 7.08 the rest of the season, struggling with his control.

•RHP Jordan Walden: Walden, 21, is another gem picked late in the draft, chosen in the 12th round in 2006. He had a huge season, advancing to high-A Rancho Cucamonga (Calif.) in his first full season. He relies on his 91- to 95-mph hard sinker and 85- to 87-mph slider.

He has good command on both sides of the plate. He likely is at least 1½ years away from the big leagues.

•1B Mark Trumbo: The Angels' first baseman of the future hit 32 homers and drove in 93 runs between Rancho Cucamonga and Class AA Arkansas (Little Rock), leading all franchise minor league players. Trumbo, 23, has tremendous power and can hit to all fields.

•CF Peter Bourjos: Bourjos, 21, led the high-A California League with 50 steals while also attaining 150 hits. He has tremendous speed and covers the gaps well in the outfield.

•LHP Trevor Reckling: The low-A Midwest League's youngest pitcher at 19, he still led Cedar Rapids (Iowa) with 10 victories. He has an 87- to 91-mph fastball but relies heavily on a strong changeup and curveball.

•RHP Anthony Ortega: Ortega, 23, was the Angels' minor league pitcher of the year, winning 14 games for Arkansas and Salt Lake after winning 18 the previous four years. He dramatically improved pitching down in the strike zone with his 91- to 95-mph fastball. He also pitched much deeper into games, going at least six innings in 20 of 28 starts.

•RHP Sean O'Sullivan: O'Sullivan, 21, has changed his approach from a power pitcher to a finesse pitcher. It has been an overwhelming success. He led the high-A California League with 16 victories last season. He has a 90- to 92-mph fastball but changes speeds and his aggressiveness in the strike zone.

2008 minor league wrap-up

•Class AAA: Salt Lake Bees (Salt Lake City), 84-60, first place in the Pacific Coast League Pacific North Division, lost in the first round of the playoffs

•Class AA: (Little Rock) Arkansas Travelers, 62-78, Texas League North first-half winner, won the league championship

•High-A: Rancho Cucamonga (Calif.) Quakes, 67-74, fourth in the California League South

•Low-A: Cedar Rapids (Iowa) Kernels, 72-66, earned the Midwest League wild-card spot, lost in the second round

•Rookie: Orem (Utah) Owlz, 52-23, first in the Pioneer League South, lost in the league championship round

•Rookie: AZL Angels, 39-17, won the Arizona League first-half title, lost in the league championship round

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Top salaries

The Angels exercised club options on Vladimir Guerrero and John Lackey for 2009 but must decide whether to try and retain them beyond this season, after which both can become free agents. The club will save money in the bullpen this year because newly acquired Brian Fuentes will earn $8.5 million; former closer Francisco Rodriguez, who signed with the New York Mets, earned $10 million in 2008.

The Oakland Athletics beefed up their lineup considerably by acquiring Matt Holliday and Jason Giambi, but the rest of the club could be too unsettled to challenge the Angels, who have had a stagnant offseason.

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